A DISTANT SOIL: The Ascendant Chapter 1 Page 16
A number of people have asked why A Distant Soil isn’t in color.
First and foremost, I have about 200 pages of the tale left to write and draw, and my time and effort and financial resources need to be reserved for completing the project.
I’ve had a number of people come forward to offer their services for free, but I don’t believe in hiring people on spec. While I appreciate the gesture, I can’t guarantee a back end payment on this project. Despite the many kind offers, I simply can’t accept them.
It would take many months of effort to restore all the original art for color (tones would have to be removed, for example,) and the process of coloring 1,000 + pages of story would be very expensive. I would have to hire a full-time colorist for at least a year.
In the meantime, I hope the work is compelling enough in black and white to capture your interest. Thanks so much for reading. Please do visit my store and check out my books. And encouraging your friends to read the series on this site also helps support the project.
Please do visit our advertisers. I highly recommend The Dreamland Chronicles.
And yes, all my work is drawn by hand. No computers, no poser programs.
17 Comments
SueMc
I love that ADS is in black and white, because it really showcases your beautiful line work. I think some of the details would be lost if color were applied.
Colleen
I’m perfectly content with it in black and white, also.
It’s rare a comic drawn for B&W is improved by the addition of color.
I saw an old 1980’s favorite re-colored on computer recently, and I nearly died. A total disaster. I do wish some people would step away from the Photoshop filters.
Arlnee
Some of the colorized Donning books are my favorites, but the ADS ones really aren’t two of them. You might want to look at getting the whole series redone after you complete the whole arc, but if it never got color I wouldn’t be disappointed.
mamid
….. I’d do the colourwork for free just for the experience of doing it and the credit….
Colleen
Not a big fan of the Donning colors myself. Of course, I thought they were all that at the time, but hoo boy.
I won’t be disappointed if it is never colored, either. I will just be happy to finish.
Colleen
@Mamid. I can’t allow people to work for me under those terms. it is exploitative, even if the person doing it does not feel exploited. I’ve had dozens of offers, frankly.
mamid
well, it has to do with my financial situation, and the fact that I’m an inexperience colourist (of other people’s work). If you didn’t like it, at least I would have the experience of doing it which would be beneficial to me.
raycornwall
Mamid- you can always do it yourself as practice. Nothing stopping you there.
Colleen- you could always do it like the manga publishers do it, where they colorize the first page or two of a chapter. I love it in B&W myself, though.
mamid
@raycornwall
that’s so true. But it would be wrong to just do it without permission. I’d feel like I was violating some sort of unspoken clause somewhere.
Colleen
No, it’s fair use if you want to color a few of my pages for kicks. It’s not like you are selling them or anything.
mamid
@Colleen
Somewhere, near the sites of the next winter Olympics, a deafening cheer erupts…
Allan
To be honest, colouring ADS would be as bad as those godawful colourised movies we get stuck with. I saw the other day a DVD with a colour version of It’s a Wonderful Life — why??! What the heck’s wrong with black and white?
Yes, I know this version of ADS started life in colour, but really, it looks a lot better in black and white. Please, leave it alone.
Colleen
I tend to agree with you, Allan. I like black and white. It is elegant.
Then again, it is odd to be approached by people who say they will not buy a black and white book.
I shudder to think of what they would do to Aubrey Beardsley and Harry Clarke were these people to get their paws on them.
raycornwall
For the most part, I agree that ADS should be B&W. But it’s not like I’d be morally opposed to the use of color if it made sense (both fiscally and artistically) to you.
Miki
“I like black and white. It is elegant”
I couldn’t agree more.
‘Nuff said!
Colleen Doran
UPDATED
Aprillen
This is not a comic that suffers from not being in colour. The lineart is so exquisite that colour would probably detract from it rather than enhance it.